Sprayer for shower bath



May 1967 J. M. A. ALCANTARA 3,322,352

SPRAYER FOR SHOWER BATH Filed Feb. 1, 1965 m T m V m J. M. ARALUCEALCANTARA ATTOQNEKS United States Patent Ofilice 3,322,352 Patented May30, 1967 3,322,352 SPRAYER FER EiH-UWER BATH Jose Maria AraluceAlcantara, Mendez Nunez Iii), Barcelona, Spain Fiierl lFeb. l, 1965,Ser. No. 429,237 '7 lCRaims. (Cl. 239- -l28.5')

This invention concerns a sprayer for shower baths to be used mainly inbath and lavatory rooms, the purpose of which is to provide a moreefiicient shower not causing any splashing.

A sprayer for a shower bath now consists of an empty part which admitsat its top pressurized water, its bottom side presenting a plurality ofholes to cause the water outflow in the form of multiple small jets ofwater under pressure, and the latter when they hit the body of theperson under the shower fall splashing out of the basin. In addition, onaccount of the high pressure and the speed with which the small jets aresent out the person under the shower is greatly inconvenienced.

It must be also considered that when the pressurized Water inlet valveis hardly opened, i.e. when just a small flow of water goes into thesprayer, it is not sent out in the form of small jets, but they slipover the lower face and concentrate becoming just only one jet, whichdrops under no pressure, splashes even more than the small jets,resulting therefore in an even more uncomfortable and inefficientshower.

It is likewise another fact that although the water inlet in the sprayermay be suitably adjusted, the small jets never bathe completely the bodyof the person under the shower, because the water does not fall in aregular way over the body.

Being aware of those facts, the inventor has studied the way ofovercoming those inconveniences and has obtained by means of hisinvention, a sprayer for shower bath which provides the water outflow inthe form of small jets guided in a vertical sense without causing anysplashes. On the other hand even if a small quantity of water issupplied to the sprayer the outflow in rnulitple jets may be maintainedand the concentration in only one jet is prevented. Further, the waterof those jets falls over the body of the person under the shower in amore regular way and is better spread than with the sprayers known up tothe present.

Therefore an object of the invention is to provide a spraying deviceinside of which a mixture of the water circulating therein withatmospherical air takes place, so that when water is sent out inmultiple jets, the latter may contain air bubbles which prevent anysplashing on account of the characteristic resiliency of said bubbles.

Another object of the invention is to provide the outflow of themultiple jets in a vertical direction, preventing them from forming justone jet, by means of polygonal sectioned nozzles placed at eachdischarge hole to guide the jets.

Yet another object of the invention is to obtain the combination ofwater with air, causing the opening of the water jet when it goes intothe sprayer body, through the arrangement of a part fastened inside thetubular extension of the inlet conduit, which is a component of thesprayer and wherein a free air intake takes place in a position a littlebefore that part which opens the jet in accord ance with the watercirculating sense.

Still another object of the invention is to reduce the pressure of thewater circulating inside the sprayer body, making the latter with agreater diameter and volume than those of the already mentioned tubularextension. This crosses only partially the sprayer body and does notreach its lower face where the outflow holes with their respectivenozzles are located.

Another object of the invention is to cause the outflow of the multiplejets only at the peripheral zone in the lower face of the sprayer, saidperipheral zone being out of the vertical projection of the said tubularextension.

The above and other objects of the invention appear more clearly in thedescription of the attached drawing sheet.

FIGURE 1 represents a sprayer in an axially sectioned plane and FIGURE 2shows the sprayer seen from below, i.e., at its lower face where theoutflow holes are located together with their nozzles.

In said drawings 1 is the sprayer body, which has the water intake mouth2 innerly threaded at 3 to be coupled with the conduit in the showerbath. in accordance with the known art. The Water inlet 2 has an innerflange 4 and a tubular extension 5' ending at 6. Disk-shaped part 7 isplaced inside mouth 2 resting on flange and it has a lower extension 8with a smaller diameter than the disk 7 so as not to meet flange 4.Crossing the central zone of said part '7 are perforations 9 and ll! andover the upper face in the same part 7, there is a recessed zone itwhere perforations 9 and it start. Over part 7 another diskshaped part12 is placed which has a higher extension 13 with the central hole 14facing the recessed zone 11 of part '7. This part 7 with perforations 9and It) has the central core 15 from which extends the small shank 16ending in sphere 17. It is of a smaller diameter than the tubularextension 5 and it remains within that extension but without reachingthe end 6. Hole 19 extends through the sprayer body 1 at 18 and reachesthe inside of tubular extension 5 at a place lower than the position offlange 4 and higher than the position of sphere 17, the body of thesprayer being extended along the tapered wall 2t) axially aligned withtubular extension 5 and with intake mouth 2, ending at 21 in thecylindrical edge 22 to which is coupled by means of threading,bayonet-attachment or any other means, a lower piece 23 withinterposition of joint 24.

This lower part 23 has in its peripheral zone 26 a plurality of holesand its central area 27 has no hole at all, being concave-shaped at itsinner face 28. The holes are regularly distributed all over peripheralzone 26 and are of tetragonal section, whereby opposite ribs 29 and 30of each hole belong to a radial plane in the sprayer body, inner faces31 and 32 forming wide holes to allow the water outflow in multiplejets. Each hole is extended over the lower face in part 23, throughnozzles 33 which are all chamfered in a slightly curved way at 34 up tothe edges 35, the chamfer 34 extending towards the axis or center of thesprayer body.

In use, when the sprayer is coupled to the conventional conduit in theshower bath and the pressurized water inlet is opened, the water iscompelled to go through passage 14. Since this part 14 is of a smallerdiameter than that of intake 2, the circulating water increases itsspeed and passes to the cut down zone 11 and from this throughperforations 9 and iii to the inside 36 of tubular extension 5, wherewater meets sphere 17 causing the opening of the flow. \Vhen this takesplace a depression is produced at zone 36 and atnrospherical air goesinto passage 19. Since water, when it flows through passages 9 and 1t),and when it strikes against sphere l7 stirs turbulently, the liquidbecomes mixed with the air passing through passage 19, and air isincorporated in the water in the form of small bubbles. In thiscondition water passes to the end 6 of tubular extension 5, and then tothe lower chamber 37, which reduces the pressure of the water mixed withthe air on account of having a greater diameter than tubular extension5, and thus the liquid is softly projected over the central concave zone23 and is sent out finally through the holes in the peripheral zone 26.

Since the inner chamber 37 is extended upwards surrounding the saidtubular extension, the upper zone 38 operates as a chamber which absorbsthe possible increase of volume regulating the outflow speed through theholes. Due to the polygonal shape of these holes as well as to thechamfered nozzles the jets sent out through each of them, are expelledin a vertical direction. On the other hand as the water composing thosejets is mixed with small air bubbles, it causes no splashing when ithits the body of the person under the shower, ecause air bubbles imparta certain resiliency to the water which absorbs the collision andprevents any splashing. Finally on account of the arrangement of theholes, the size and shape adopted by them, and also of the nozzles,although a very small amount of water circulates through the sprayer,the liquid is evenly distributed all over the holes and the nozzlesprevent it from forming just one jet, as happens in the sprayers knownup to the present.

Although the embodiment of the invention such as here disclosed is oneof the preferred forms, it should be understood that other forms may beadopted, provided that they are comprised within the scope of the claimshereunder.

Therefore What I wish to claim and to protect under Letters Patent is:

1. Sprayer for shower bath comprising a conduit, an intake mouth, saidconduit being axially aligned with the intake mouth, a hollow casing,said conduit extending up to the inside of the casing forming thesurface of the sprayer, the said conduit having an inner rim in itsupper half, a disk-shaped part resting on said rim and having transverseperforations, a shank in the center of its lower face and a sphere atthe end of the shank, said sphere remaining inside the conduit Withoutreaching its lower end, another similar part located upon saiddisk-shaped part and having a central hole facing the perforations inthe first disk-shaped part, said sprayer body having a hole reaching andcontacting the tubular extension in a place comprised between the innerrim and the sphere, a convexshaped plate closing the lower side of thesprayer body and having holes of tetragonal section located in theperipheral zone of the plate.

2. Sprayer for shower bath according to claim 1 where in the tetragonalholes in the base have a diametral plane of quadrangular shapeconcurrent with a radial plan of the sprayer body.

3. Sprayer for shower bath in accordance with claim 1 wherein eachquadrangular hole in the base has a chamfered exterior nozzle, thelonger side of said nozzle extending towards the periphery of saidplate.

4. Sprayer for shower bath according to claim 1 wherein the central areaof the base has a concave-shaped face remaining inside the sprayer body,this central area having a greater diameter than the tubular extension.

5. Sprayer for shower bath according to claim 2, wherein thequadrangular holes are made only in the peripheral zone comprisedbetween the central concave area and the inner peripheral flange of thecasing.

6. Sprayer for shower bath in accordance with claim 5, wherein thetetragonal holes are regularly distributed all over the said peripheralzone,

7. Sprayer for shower bath according to claim l wherein the air intakehole allows the inner tubular extension to be connected to theatmosphere, the remaining inner cavity at the top in the sprayer body,not being connected with such a hole.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,510,395 6/1950 Goodrie239-428.5 2,657,024 10/ 1953 Reinecke 239-4285 2,761,662 9/1956 Goodrie239428.5 2,940,675 6/1960 Robb 239428.5

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner.

1. SPRAYER FOR SHOWER BATH COMPRISING A CONDUIT, AN INTAKE MOUTH, SAIDCONDUIT BEING AXIALLY ALIGNED WITH THE INTAKE MOUTH, A HOLLOW CASING,SAID CONDUIT EXTENDING UP TO THE INSIDE OF THE CASING FORMING THESURFACE OF THE SPRAYER, THE SAID CONDUIT HAVING AN INNER RIM IN ITSUPPER HALF, A DISK-SHAPED PART RESTING ON SAID RIM AND HAVING TRANSVERSEPERFORATIONS, A SHANK IN THE CENTER OF ITS LOWER FACE AND A SPHERE ATTHE END OF THE SHANK, SAID SPHERE REMAINING INSIDE THE CONDUIT WITHOUTREACHING ITS LOWER END, ANOTHER SIMILAR PART LOCATED UPON SAIDDISK-SHAPED PART AND HAVING A CENTRAL HOLE FACING THE PERFORATIONS INTHE FIRST DISK-SHAPED PART, SAID SPRAYER BODY HAVING A HOLE REACHING ANDCONTACTING THE TUBULAR EXTENSION IN A PLACE COMPRISED BETWEEN THE INNERRIM AND THE SPHERE, A CONVEXSHAPED PLATE CLOSING THE LOWER SIDE OF THESPRAYER BODY AND HAVING HOLES OF TETRAGONAL SECTION LOCATED IN THEPERIPHERAL ZONE OF THE PLATE.